


of demons and promises

by orphan_account



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Slow Build, demon emperor au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4117381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shintaro’s eyes burned with the strength of his resolve. “Teach me. Teach me to use my powers properly. I want...I want to be strong. I don’t ever want to lose anything precious to me. Ever again. So please, teach me. I’ll give you anything in return.”</p><p>or</p><p>the akamido demon emperor au no one asked for</p>
            </blockquote>





	of demons and promises

**Author's Note:**

> italicized parts are flashbacks (not all though)  
> unbeta'd

**_Demon Emperor_ **

_Awakened from your slumber,_  
_Trapped in a cell,_  
 _In a world down under._  
 _The dreadful Hell._

  
_Glorious your wings,_   
_Oh, ruler of kings._   
_Black as night,_   
_Their magnificence forthright._

  
_Dire your horns,_   
_The mightiest of thorns._   
_Stronger than steel,_   
_Making all the knights kneel._

  
_Crimson your hair,_   
_Reddest of your kin._   
_Your muscles bulk,_   
_Making the strongest sulk._

  
_Your anger terrible,_   
_Your power unbearable._   
_Your life eternal,_   
_Your wrath infernal._

  
_Frightening your sight,_   
_Immeasurable your might._   
_Torture is your pleasure._   
_Your collected souls,_   
_I cannot measure._

  
_To you, killing is a game._   
_In Hell,_   
_Echoed is your name._

_-Corthonyax_

 

* * *

 

 

 

Midorima is five when he first gets to know of the legend of Akashi. He found the old piece of paper wedged between the pages of an ancient book about history.

 

“Okaa-san, is this legend real?” Midorima asks his mother, eyes wide with wonder, when she tucks him into bed after dinner.

 

“It is real if you choose to believe it, and it isn’t real if you don’t believe it,” she replies, chuckling at the naivety of her son.

 

Disgruntled by the patronizing tone his mother used, he scowled and turned to one side. He  _knew_  it was just an old wives’ tale. He shouldn’t even have asked about it.

 

That night, he dreamt of crimson red, red hair, and an eye as gold as the sun.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The Midorima household lived in the mountains, as had their ancestors before them, for as long as anyone could remember. In the small village in which they settled, everyone knew and were always willing to help out one another.

 

Nine years had passed since Shintaro found the old legend of Akashi, and it had been long since forgotten already, Shintaro having grown up to be a strong and handsome young boy of fourteen. He had responsibilities now, such as taking care of his sister while his mother was busy, and gathering wild mushrooms and herbs in the mountains. His parents had high hopes for him, him being the top in his class and aiming for a scholarship into the city’s high school. There were a few village girls eyeing him too, attracted to his aloofness and good looks. Shintaro found them positively  _annoying_. They were constantly flitting around him, batting their eyelashes and giggling at everything.

 

Which was why Shintaro found himself in the mountain glade he found when he was nine, to escape the obnoxious flirting and high-pitched giggling of the girls in his school. No one would find him here. He heaved a sigh of relief, and started eating his bento.

 

Unbeknownst to him, that glade was one of the places Akashi liked to frequent, and ever since he knew about Shintaro going to  _his_  glade, daily, reading a book and occasionally taking a sip from his bottle, Akashi had been watching him.

 

He normally would have killed any creature who dared set foot into his territory, however, something about this boy intrigued him. This human boy was  _unique_. He possessed the Sight, however in this case, it was slightly different. There was also something... _special_ about this human boy.

 

The Sight was rare to begin with, as only few humans in the mountain villages possessed it. Possessing the Sight meant that one could see demons, but only when they weren’t concealing themselves. Those that possessed the Sight in the cities had no knowledge of their unusual gift, as the chances of coming across a demon in the city were slim to none. Most humans that possessed the Sight usually fled in terror upon seeing a demon, and nobody believed them when they said they had come across one, and over time, they themselves began to believe it was just a horrid, ghastly, nightmare.

 

Not only did Shintaro possess the Sight, he could also see demons even though they were concealing themselves. He also did not flee upon seeing one, on the contrary, he actually tried to  _communicate_ with one.

 

It happened when he was ten, glasses too big for his face, with long and gangly legs unfitting for a ten year old.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_“Okaa-san, I’m going to the glade now. I’ll be back by six.” a young Shintaro informed his mother solemnly, as was his standard procedure, which was to wake up, shower, go to school, help his mother out with the housework and run some errands for her, then do his homework, and last but not least, inform her he was going to the glade._

_“Today, too? It’s your birthday, you know.” his mother said in dismay._

_“I am well aware of that fact.” Shintaro replied stiffly. Moments passed, and he sighed. “Okaa-san, you couldn’t possibly expect me to go early to the ‘surprise’ party the villagers are throwing for me, could you? You know I dislike socializing with other people.”  
_

_Always helping out the other villagers since young, Shintaro was by far the favorite of the whole village. Which was why he found himself being the, in his opinion, unlucky recipient of one of the biggest celebrations in the village._

_“Darling, I hate to stop you from doing what you want to on your birthday, but this celebration is a token of goodwill and gratitude from the other villagers.” his mother persuaded him.  
_

_“Alright, fine, I’ll be back by five,” Shintaro conceded, not wanting to upset his mother and the villagers.  
_

_She beamed. “Don’t forget your bento, dear!”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Shintaro was comfortably settled down under the shade of the old oak tree, reading, when he heard some hushed whispers coming from behind some bushes. “Oh, god, please don’t let it be some of the villagers coming to get me,” he groaned, under his breath. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the efforts of the villagers, he just really, really, disliked socializing with others._

_He frowned when the whispers got louder. He absolutely_ abhorred _being interrupted while reading. He could make out some words now, and they greatly piqued his interest. “Intruder…tell Akashi…furious…” “Won’t be happy with us too…better not…”_ Akashi? Why did that name sound so familiar…? _Curious, Shintaro peeked at the two…humans? who were whispering so loudly and was alarmed to see horns protruding out of their heads._ And was that a tail?? _Shintaro gasped in surprise and awe._

_Interrupted, the two creatures glanced over at him and the one on the left, a golden haired young man, yelped in shock. “Aominecchi! That boy is looking at us! How can he see us? What do we doooo?” he wailed. “Shut up, Kise! We’re concealing ourselves, it’s not possible for any humans to see us, Sight or not. He’s looking at…the tree behind us, I’m sure.” the one on the right, with dark blue midnight hair, snapped._

_“What_ are _you?” Shintaro asked, curiosity getting the better of him. “What the fuck, can you actually see us?” the blue haired man asked rudely, prodding at Shintaro’s face. “Don’t touch me like that. And mind your language.” Shintaro scowled, batting his hand away. “I told you, Aominecchi! He can see us! What do we do now?” the blond one, supposedly Kise, whined again. “Do you know who I am, what I am? How dare you address me in such a manner!” the rude one, Aomine, snapped, fire blazing in his eyes. “I don’t care about who you are._ What _are you?” Shintaro said calmly, wanting to confirm his suspicions. The fire in Aomine’s eyes rapidly intensified. “You little brat! I’m so telling Akashi about you, you insolent piece of shit!” he scowled._

_“And what, pray tell, are you going to tell me about, Daiki?” a voice, smooth as silk and as deadly as poison rang out.  
_

_“Akashi! Uh…I was just going to tell you about this boy. Kise and I were talking about…uh…some stuff then this boy interrupted us and could see us even though we were concealed and he is in your glade! Plus he kept asking us weird questions!” Aomine babbled, flustered with Akashi’s sudden appearance. “I see…and what exactly were you talking about?” Akashi asked, eyes glinting. “Nothing important, just, you know, normal stuff!” Kise jabbered, laughing nervously. “Are you Akashi? What are you? And who are they?” Shintaro once again asked, staring at Akashi’s golden eye. It was…oddly beautiful. “I will deal with you and Ryouta later. Return back.” Akashi instructed, and turned his attention to Shintaro.  
_

_“My, my, a curious one, are you? Ever heard of the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’?” Akashi chuckled. He would take his time to kill the boy. “Ever heard of the continuation ‘Satisfaction brought it back’?” Shintaro challenged. Akashi eyed the boy with newfound interest. So he wasn’t intimidated by him…_ yet _. “You do know what I am, right? You’re certainly no idiot.” Akashi showed no reaction to his earlier defiance. “You and your companions…you’re all demons, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question. Shintaro’s eyes shone. “Awesome! So demons actually_ do _exist.” Akashi found this boy more and more baffling by the second, which was something he wasn’t familiar with. He was never off-guard, never not in control of any situation he was in. “Yes, we are. And I am the emperor of them all.” he affirmed. An emotion flickered in Shintaro’s eyes. Fear, which Akashi was satisfied to see. “You have intruded upon my territory. This is my glade. I kill_ all _intruders.” Akashi continued. At this, Shintaro frowned. “Did you make this place? Did you plant each and every tree and plant in this glade? Don’t claim something as yours if it isn’t. It belongs to me as much as it belongs to you.” Akashi glowered. “You dare question me?” Shintaro hesitated, then jutted his chin out. “Yes, I dare.” Akashi narrowed his eyes. “Very well.”_

 

* * *

 

 

_“Akashicchi! What happened? What did you do to the boy?” Kise immediately bombarded Akashi with questions once he got back._

_“I wiped his memories of us. From now onwards, I want Tetsuya to watch him and report back to me. Every day. Is that clear?” Akashi ordered.  
_

_“Why? What did he do? Why isn’t he dead?” Kise, eager as a puppy as always, questioned.  
_

_Akashi’s voice took on a dangerous tone. “Ask no questions, Ryouta, and I will spare you and Daiki.”_

_Effectively cowed, Kise shut up and scuttled out of the room._

_Akashi sensed that the boy wasn’t actually human, rather, he was a weird mix of human, demon, and angel. His mother had both angel and human blood flowing through her veins. But it was impossible. Spawns of angels were brutally killed by the angels at birth. The King of the angels, as well as many of his subordinates, were of the opinion that angels were superior and consorting with any other creature, demon or human, was strictly prohibited._

 

* * *

 

 

 

True to his word, Akashi had been keeping tabs on Shintaro ever since then. He couldn’t deny that he felt some curiosity for the stubborn yet brave boy. With such a complicated history, which he knew absolutely nothing about, what would he do once he found out? And how powerful would he be once his powers were awakened? The demon emperor was determined to find out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Shintaro trudged the familiar dirt path back home, as he contemplated about how to politely yet firmly reject another girl who had confessed to him that day. His mind was spinning. Maybe it would be easier to just get a girlfriend and be free from all the attention.

 

“Okaa-san, I’m home!” he called, opening the door. Suddenly, he froze. Something wasn’t right. The smell of his mother’s home cooked food wasn’t present, and the house was eerily silent. Heart beating wildly in his chest, Shintaro ran into the kitchen, searching for any signs of life.  _Where are Okaa-san and Shizuka?_ Frantic thoughts clouded his mind, as he rushed into the basement, panting. To his relief, he saw his mother, and Shizuka, huddling in a corner. Turning, she saw him, and relief was written plainly on her face. “Shintaro, do as I say, and quickly. Take Shizuka and run. Run, and don’t look back. They’re coming. Don’t  _ever_ let them find you.” Panic threatened to engulf him. “What? Who’s coming? Okaa-san, what are you talking abou-”

 

He was rudely interrupted by an explosion of pure light. Thrown off balance by the explosion, he crashed into the wall beside his sister, who was crying. Struggling to sit up, and feeling more than a little disorientated, Shintaro could only hear the muffled screaming of his mother to run and to go now. He sat, frozen in shock, as an ethereal being, dressed in gold, with  _wings_ as pure as snow, stepped into their dark dingy basement. Leveling his spear and pointing it at Shintaro’s mother, he declared, “You filthy vermin! You are the bastard child of and angel, and you still dare spawn more scum? One of them is part demon too, I see. Have you no shame?” he spat. She snarled, and attacked him, legs kicking and arms flailing.

 

Shintaro broke out of his trance-like state, taking Shizuka by the hand and dragging her up to her feet. He ran out of a large, gaping hole in the wall of their basement with his sister, heart pounding so loudly in his chest he was sure it would jump out and an incessant ringing in his ears. Once outside, he ran in the direction of the mountain, fear propelling his feet forward, only to be stopped by two other men dressed in gold, with spears. Terrified, Shizuka screamed, covering her ears. The two angels marched forward, and took hold of her. She screamed and fought, tears streaming down her face. Desperation taking over Shintaro, he rushed grabbed a stick from the ground and rushed forward, hitting the angel that had his sister hostage with it. The second angel grabbed his arm, and threw him to the ground. Fear and panic exploded within him. He had to do _something_. Anything, just something to make them stop. He want them to  _stop_.  _Stop stop stop stop stop stop st-_

Green, a deep forest green, burned the edges of his vision. The angels were fading to ash in his blurring vision, as well as Shizuka. The last thing he saw before his world faded to black was his house burning, crumbling to the ground...

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Akashi glanced at the smooth brow of Shintaro’s forehead as he dozed peacefully. Forehead creasing, his eyes suddenly flew open. “Shizuka!” he gasped, reliving the memories of the ordeal last night.  _Where was he? Was he already dead?_ He sat up quickly, therefore feeling dizzy, and was startled to see Akashi gazing imperiously down at him. Recollections of their previous meeting flooded through his mind. “What...what the  _hell?_ ” Shintaro muttered, overwhelmed. “It seems your powers were awakened when you came in contact with the angel. As you had already had contact with demonic energy, namely from me, the conditions were fulfilled.” Akashi commented mildly. He went on to explain that Shintaro was had demon and angel blood in him, as well as human. 

 

Shintaro’s eyes burned with the strength of his resolve. “Teach me. Teach me to use my powers properly. I want...I want to be strong. I don’t ever want to lose anything precious to me. Ever again. So please, teach me. I’ll give you  _anything_  in return.” “I will hold you to that promise, young Shintaro,” Akashi laughed, amused, voice caressing his name.

**Author's Note:**

> tbc!  
> rating may go up for later chapters


End file.
